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RTEC Treecare

RTEC Treecare

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Honeydew & Sooty Mold

Resources: Tree Problems

honeydew on walkway
Honeydew On Walkway Under Tree

Honeydew is one of the most common tree care issues we see in the DC Metro Area. You may not be familiar with the name but you’re probably familiar with the issue. Have you ever encountered annoying sticky sap coating your car, furniture, or walkway that’s under a tree? That’s Honeydew. This plant health issue can be extremely frustrating for homeowners because it’s difficult to remove, accumulates dirt, and attracts flies and other annoying insects. But on top of the annoyance, this is a sign that your tree is suffering from a health issue.

What Is Honeydew?

Honeydew is the excrement of plant-sucking insects. This sticky substance is usually the first sign homeowners notice of an insect infestation. Many homeowners actually confuse honeydew with sap and only call us because the “sap” is a nuisance. They are usually surprised to hear that the problem they are dealing with is honeydew, which is a sign of an insect infestation. Honeydew itself will not damage to your tree; however, the insect infestation that causes it can weaken your tree overtime causing an overall decline in your tree’s health and vitality. With honeydew, you also run the risk of developing Sooty Mold which can cause additional issues.

Honeydew on Leaves

What Is Sooty Mold?

Sooty mold is a fungus that grows on top of honeydew and coats the leaves of your trees to the point where they can no longer absorb sunlight. This interrupts photosynthesis and the tree will not be able to produce the nutrients they need for survival. If your trees and shrubs are turning black you most likely have a sooty mold problem caused by an insect infestation.

Sooty Mold On Leaf

Susceptible Trees: Insect infestations that lead to honeydew & sooty mold are frequently found on azalea, rhododendrons, rose, ash, oak, fir, pine, spruce, cedar, hackberry, tulip poplar, elm, maple, willow, and fruit trees.

What Type Of Insect Causes Honeydew & Sooty Mold?

Honeydew is caused by an infestation of plant-sucking insects. Plant-sucking insects are insects that feed on the fluids from the plants’ photosynthetic tissues. Any plant-sucking insects can cause honeydew; however, the most common plant-sucking insects we see in our area include; lace bugs, various species of soft scale, and aphids.

Lace Bugs:

Honeydew - Lace Bug Nymph

Lace bugs are plant-sucking insects that belong to the Tingidae family. These small ¼ inch long insects have wings that resemble lace and feed on the fluids from the plants’ photosynthetic tissues. With multiple generations a year these lace bugs will feed on your trees and shrubs from spring until fall creating honeydew, sooty mold, and turning the leaves a sickly white color. But the infestation doesn’t stop when the cold weather comes. The lace bug eggs overwinter in the leaves so that they can hatch and come back next spring to do more damage.

Targets: Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and other plants in the heath family

Learn more about Lace Bugs

Scale:

Scale is a general term to describe a group of tiny insects that attach themselves to trees and shrubs to feed off of the sap the plants produce. These insects range from 1/16th inch to over ¼th inch and resemble narrow fans, oysters, turtles, and barnacles, depending on the type. Scale are separated into two types; armored and soft scale. Soft scale is the kind that produces honeydew. Common types of soft scale include Azalea Bark Scale and Lecanium Scale.

Targets: Azaleas, Rhododendron, Huckleberry, Andromeda, Hawthorn, Popular, Maple, Oak, Linden, Birch, & Willow.

Learn more about Scale

Aphids:

Aphids on Crape Myrtles
What Aphids Look Like To The Naked Eye

Aphids, also known as plant lice, are among the most destructive tree bugs. These small sap-sucking insects are members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. On top of creating honeydew and attracting sooty mold, Aphids weaken the plant and are vectors for other plant diseases. Because of their ability to asexually reproduce aphids rapidly grow in number and are difficult to control/eliminate.

Targets: Many species including Ash, Crape Myrtles, Fir, Pine, Spruce, Cedar, Hackberry, Roses, and Tulip Poplars.

Learn More About Aphids

Many of our clients have had serious problems with Honeydew and Sooty Mold staining their sidewalks, fences, and house siding black. If you are having issues from Honeydew and Sooty Mold our arborist will be able to determine if it’s being caused by aphids, scale, or other plants sucking insects and recommend the appropriate treatment.

TREATMENT FOR Honeydew & Soot Mold:

To keep honeydew and sooty mold from accumulating on your tree you must suppress the plant-sucking insects that create the sticky substance. To achieve this you have several options.

Traditional Control: Depending on the type of insect, our Arborists and Plant Health Care Technicians will use horticultural oils and insecticides to kill and control the insect infestation this year and prevent it in the following years. Depending on the severity of the sooty mold and the time of the year, our Arborists may also suggest cleaning off the sooty mold by using a hose and a soap solution.

Organic Control through Beneficial Insects: Aphids, lace bugs, and scale have many natural enemies. We can release these predators on your property in order to control the population of these aphids. This is a great option for homeowners that are worried about chemicals on their property or have kids that would love to be involved in releasing the bugs on the property.

Lace Bug Natural Enemies: jumping spiders, assassin bugs, lacewings larvae, and ladybugs

Scale Natural Enemies: lady beetles, predatory mites, and small parasitic wasps

Aphid Natural Enemies: lacewing larvae and ladybugs

Prevention: Most insects are more likely to feed on stressed trees. Maintaining the health and vigor of your trees can help protect against an infestation of plant-sucking insects.  You can maintain the health of your tree through routine pruning, bio-stimulant applications, and seasonal sprays.

If your tree is having issues with honeydew and sooty mold give us a call at 703-573-3029 or use our online booking system to book a consultation with a Certified Arborist.

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Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

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